2012 Year End Letter

Dec. 31, 2012, noon
Dear Bent Community, As we wrap up 2012, we want to thank you for an incredibly eventful and successful year of writing and building queer community. As we reflect on last year, we are looking for new board members to join us in our efforts to build safe, creative spaces for queers of all stripes (see below for more details.) We began the year with the leadership of Interim Executive Director Elaina M. Ellis, who brought tremendous vision and ambition to our fundraising and programming goals. One of the goals Bent leadership set was a commitment to fund ASL Interpretation Services for one class throughout the year. Along with the help of the dedicated Interpretation Workgroup and our Interpretation Coordinator, Chris Shorne, we were able to provide ASL Interpretation in one class for the majority of the year for the first time at Bent. Our talented teaching staff continued to inspire writing and homo-home-making in our classrooms with offerings of General Writing, Performance Poetry, Poetry on the Page, Science-Fiction, Writing Outside, Writing Race & Racial Justice, Writing Gender & Re-Mything. In the interest of wanting to build the most inclusive and supportive spaces for LGBTIQ writers, our Board of Directors organized and participated in the following trainings for Bent’s Leadership (Board, Directors & Teachers): Racial Justice, Class Justice, Disability Justice, Ageism, Transphobia/Transmisogyny/Femmephobia. Bent had a Really Gay Field Day in July, where friends of Bent enjoyed face & nail painting, games, music and each other’s company. In March, Bent traveled north to Bellingham for two shows: a workshop and performance at the Underground Coffeehouse at Western Washington University, co-sponsored by Planned Parenthood and WWU Queer Resource Center & "Bellingham Gets Bent" at the Firehouse Performing Arts Center, hosted by Karen Hansey and Bob Butler. Bent scooted and twirled around in celebration of all things queer at Seattle

Community Meeting

Nov. 23, 2012, 2:44 p.m.

Community Meeting

Greetings fellow Queers and Allies!

First, thank you for your continued support of safe, accessible, Queer writing space. It is an honor serving this community. As a way to remain connected, we are cordially inviting you to bring your voice and opinions to the Bent Writing Institute Board of Directors.

We will be hosting a community meeting on Friday, November 30th, 2012 at 6pm.
We will be holding an
Open House/Meet & Greet from 6-7pm,
and our
Community Meeting will be held from 7-9pm.
It will be in our new space, located on
19th and Madison,
1625 19th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98122
(Hearing, Speech & Deafness Center Building),
in the conference room on the 1st floor.

We are continuously striving to become as inclusive, accessible and comfortable for all people. In order to live up to our value of community accountability, we want to hear specifically from people of color, people with disabilities, people with low incomes/from working class backgrounds, and trans & gender non-conforming people. All are welcome: current/past students, teachers, board members; event participants; people who know about Bent but haven't gotten involved for any reason; everyone.

This will be an opportunity for us to catch everyone up on Bent's recent changes and give you some insight into what has been happening behind the scenes. It is also a time for you to see and discuss our 2013 budget, weigh in on programming, ask questions, share feedback and concerns, and offer encouragement as we forge ahead.

Additionally, this meeting will be ASL interpreted.

If you are unable to make the meeting, please forward your feedback, concerns, and encouragement to our Development Director, Eli Steffen:bent.developmentdirector@gmail.com

Bent's Annual Fall Fundraiser is under way!

Nov. 19, 2012, 4:45 p.m.
Bent

Bent Mentor Showcase with Mia Mingus!

Nov. 14, 2012, 6:51 p.m.

Bent Writing Institute Presents:

The 12th Annual Bent Mentor Showcase, Featuring Mia Mingus!
Tickets available here: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/284095

On November 16th and 17th, Bent Writing Institute will showcase poetry, storytelling, and fiction written by Seattle's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community. Doors open both nights at 7:30pm and Showcase will begin at 8pm. The annual event will be held downstairs at Town Hall for two nights and will feature the work of Mia Mingus, a dynamic activist, writer, and speaker who has been working for liberation over the last decade. She was born in Korea, raised in the US Virgin Islands and has spent the last twelve years living and loving in the South. As a queer disabled woman of color and transracial, transnational Korean adoptee, Mia has a cross-movement heart. Through her work on disability, race, gender, reproductive justice, sexuality, and adoption, she recognizes the urgency and barriers for oppressed communities to build alliances for liberation. Mia was a Co-Executive Director of SPARK Reproductive Justice Now until January 2010. She is a founding member of the Disability Justice Collective and the Atlanta Transformative Justice Collaborative. More about Mia here: http://leavingevidence.wordpress.com/about-2/

Each night of the 2012 Bent Mentor Showcase will feature different Bent performers! Mia will perform a lengthy set both evenings!
This year's showcase will be emceed once again by Bent's own charismatic poet, Marita Isabel, who hosted Seattle Poetry Slam from 2010-2011 and produced Seattle Spit from 2010-2012.

In addition to the Showcase at Town Hall on November 16th & 17th, Bent will host a writing workshop taught by Mingus on Saturday, November 17th. Tickets for the showcase and workshop will be available through Brown Paper Tickets.

Tickets for both nights are available at Brown Paper Tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/284095
General Tickets are $20
Youth or Low Income Tickets are $15
Donor Tickets are $50 and get you Reserved Front Row(s) Seating!

Accessibility Information:

Friday night's performance will be ASL-interpreted. Interpreters: Pam Parham and Anne DelVecchio.

Town Hall is a wheelchair accessible venue.

*This is a Scent Free Event*
Please do not wear perfumes, essential oils and other scented body, hair and clothing products. People with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS) are part of Bent's community, and out of respect for those who are coming to this event with MCS, we ask you to be fragrance free. If you are wearing scents, you will be asked to wash them off before entering the space. More information about being scent free can be found here: http://www.peggymunson.com/mcs/fragfree.pdf

For additional access needs, please contact Marisa at marisa.hackett@gmail.com

Bent has Moved!!

Nov. 9, 2012, 10:51 a.m.

Bent's NEW Address:

Bent Arts
1625 19th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98122